Warehouse 17 smelled of old dust, rust, and secrets.
And something else.
Something I couldn’t name, but that brushed over my skin like an inverted caress.
We moved in silence. Tony walked beside me, his body tense, like he was expecting a blow that hadn’t yet been thrown. I didn’t speak. Skadi did, though—not in words, but through a warning that prickled the back of my neck.
"He sees us."
I didn’t know if she meant it figuratively or literally.
Then I felt it.
A soft shift of air above. Just the faintest whisper of wings. I looked up. In the shadows between the rafters, two points gleamed like black embers. They didn’t move. They just... waited.
A raven.
At first, nothing more. A dark bird, sleek-feathered, motionless.
But when it descended, it did so without sound. Without distu
